


Sleep Drunk

by LMB



Category: The Road to El Dorado (2000)
Genre: Character Study, Love Confessions, M/M, Mostly Fluff, Pining, Sleepiness, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-06-06 18:42:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15201029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LMB/pseuds/LMB
Summary: Miguel knows Tulio is a more clever planner and liar than him, not to mention the more sensible of the two, but who knew he could be so cute while he's half-asleep? And who knew, after years of working together, Miguel would've fallen so hard?





	Sleep Drunk

**Author's Note:**

> So I just watched this movie for the first time, yesterday, and WOW their love is obvious.

It had been a few days since Cortés locked them in the brig. The bags under Tulio's eyes grew heavier with each hour that passed, his ponytailed hair growing messier along with it. Miguel's friend had always taken captivity rather hardly. Tonight was much worse. He'd barely even touched his helping of stale bread and gruel and, at times, looked like he might empty his stomach. Miguel bit his lip and watched him thump his head on the post nearby for several hours without even a joke, much less a word. 

Finally, when it was late, he crawled over to him.

"Tulio, are you going to rest your eyes for a while?"

"No, I still have to think of a plan. You fall asleep, okay? I'll get us out of here."

Oh, Tulio. He was always so busy looking out for him he could barely look after himself, some days. Miguel curled up in the hay and thought back to the day they first became friends:

_He was just seventeen years old, crying because he was so hungry and his fingers bled from playing the lute all day and night, but all anyone did was laugh and spit on him. There was no place he could call home, no family to speak of. They had all either left or starved to death. Miguel was the only one alive and would forever perform on these streets for even the faintest hope of a doubloon or peseta. He took out the last remaining sign of his mother - an ivory hairpin wrapped in gold - and twirled it between his fingers, splashing it with fresh tears._

_"Psst. Up here," a voice whispered to him. Miguel wiped his eyes and looked up. In his travels, he'd stopped in front of the Inquisition prison. Staring back at him from behind the barred window was a handsome man - who was either a heretic or a thief or both - about his age, maybe two years older._ _His skin, eyes, and hair were dark, so unlike Miguel's own features._

 _"I noticed you have a pin," he said, gesturing to the lock._ _"My name’s Tulio, and I’m a Jewish pirate. Help me out of here and I promise you'll never need to beg for money again."_

Which was all well and good. But what about the day he fell in love?

_They were sneaking through the flea market, carrying watermelons and Moroccan spices beneath their arms. The owner discovered them and tried to run after them, having recognized them as the notorious Tulio and Miguel, but he was outsmarted. The two of them stopped dead in the middle of the bazaar. Then, Tulio had cleared his throat and yelled on the spot that Miguel gave him stale ingredients, to which Miguel had responded, You dare doubt my shopping abilities? Well then, I guess I won't be making watermelon salsa for that party! To which Tulio added, Then I guess the party is canceled! Fine! Fine! Good, I hate watermelon salsa! Oh, the horror! The poor store owner was so confused by this exchange he didn't even start chasing them until seven seconds later. It was their best act yet._

_Now, they stopped upon a grassy hilltop where they made their temporary home beneath the shelter of a dry tree after Miguel had expressed it might be nice to live off the streets every once in a while. That was one thing they both loved, nature. One of many fascinating similarities, despite the obvious differences._

_"Ah, what a bunch of suckers!" Tulio laughed, and he collapsed on the grass from exhaustion._

_Miguel laughed and turned his head to see his friend's chest slowly rising up and down, the shadow of the tree falling across his face and eyelashes fluttering against the cool breeze, looking so at peace with himself. And he realized, This is what I want to do for the rest of my life._

He cast one last glance at Tulio's hunched figure before falling asleep. He would be very tired and sick the next morning and need someone there to help him get through it.

~

Miguel woke up at early morning. He could tell because the sky through the barred window above was a deep purple rather than pure black. He couldn't say why he woke up this early – maybe something inside of him sensed that Tulio needed him. Well, alright, or it could be the loud clamoring above as the ship workers cursed and moved barrels around.

"So, Tulio, have you thought of an escape plan yet? Tulio?" But Tulio did not answer, for he was lying on the ground in the distance and snoring. Miguel smiled. Aw, he'd fallen asleep. Well, he definitely needed it.

His yearnful thoughts were interrupted by a small whimpering sound escaping his friend's mouth. His brows drew together upon closer inspection. Tulio wasn't just asleep; he had his eyes closed tightly, and he was shivering. A slight chill had pervaded the boat ever since it entered the cool waters of the Mid Atlantic, and it certainly didn't help that Tulio had no body fat to him. Why, he must've been freezing half to death!

Miguel crawled over and lay down beside him, pulling him into his arms. "C'mere. It's alright, c'mere," he whispered. He rubbed his hands up and down his back and forearms until the shivering subsided. He smiled. "There you go." He watched as Tulio's face relaxed, black hair hanging haphazardly over his forehead and eyelashes resting on his cheekbones. “My darling, if only you could see how you look while you're asleep. You’d be just as in love as I am now.” Tulio let out a really loud snore in reply and he giggled, brushing his hair back from his face.

Soon, Miguel heard a small cooing sound as his friend stirred and rubbed his eyes. "Miguel? Where are we?"

"Still in the brig, I'm afraid," Miguel replied, running a soothing arm down his back.

Confused, half-lidded blue eyes gazed back at him. "What happened to me?"

"You fell asleep and got cold, so I'm comforting you."

"Thanks. You’re really warm.” Tulio snuggled closer to him. Miguel was already touched by the childlike amnesia his friend displayed when he was still in the stages of sleep, but then, as if that weren't enough, he looked up with a pouty face and said, “We’re friends, right? Promise we’ll be friends forever.”

A swelling feeling grew inside Miguel's chest and he brushed more hair back from Tulio's face and assured him, “I promise. Now go back to sleep, my lovely.” And without even thinking about it, he kissed him on the forehead. He pulled back to check his reaction.

A smile grew across Tulio's face and he woke up a little bit more, sighing happily and resting his head against the crook of his neck, pressing his lips lazily to his collarbone. Miguel purred, eyes rolling back in his head. 

~

The next morning, Tulio was on his feet and in his face, making it hard for Miguel to believe he was so vulnerable a couple hours ago.

"Who did that to you? Was it the girl in Barcelona? You knew I had eyes for her!" He was pointing wildly at the purple mark on Miguel's neck as he said this. Miguel noticed and burst into laughter while Tulio folded his arms. "Nope! That's not funny!"

"Tulio, I've told you time and again, I never even touched that girl." Okay, so he was lying, but she _had_ come on to him, plus he didn't even enjoy it all that much. "And besides,  _you_ left it there."

He stopped in his tracks. "I did?"

"Yep," said Miguel. It was funny; his friend was naturally quieter than him, but he didn't think he'd ever seen him so speechless. Tulio's fingers slowly threaded through his hair, lips parted in the confusion he'd seen written across his face not that long ago. Then - the unimaginable. Their lips met in what was their first kiss. It was long, sweet, with just a smidge of mischief, like their many years together. Perfect. Miguel burrowed his face in his neck after, whispering, "And now I'd like to leave one on you, if you don't mind."

Tulio's fingers dug into his shoulder blades and his voice grew hoarse. "Not at all."

 

**Author's Note:**

> Say, these guys have grown on me – 
> 
> I might make a multi-chapter fic about them in the future!


End file.
